If You Really Loved Me
by deadtodd
Summary: Those commitment issues led them on quite an adventure over the years but he'd finally gotten her to say I love you again.
1. Commitment

**Grimmy**: _Okay, so while I'm supposed to be redoing Lips Like Nicotine this little fic popped into my head. It's not long, only five chapters, and I plan on having the entire thing up in a few short days. So if you need something to read while you wait for the previously mentioned fic to be finished, or if you just want a little light reading in general then you've come to the right place. _

_I haven't betaed this because, once again, I was absolutely anxious to get it out. So feel free to point out all my flaws and mistakes. Also, it may seem a little upsetting and stiff at the beginning but that's simply because I originally wrote this first chapter in Arnold's perspective. I changed it to Helga's to fit the story a bit more. Hopefully I'm able to demonstrate the character growth over the course of these few short chapters. That's what I'm really aiming for, exploring this pairing that is. Oh! And before I forget, the song that inspired this was If You Really Love Me by Stevie Wonder. If you can't tell, just look at the very first line._

_Of course I don't own Hey Arnold! I'm just another teenager with big dreams._

**Chapter 1** - _Commitment_

"If you really love me you should tell me, not do all of this!" It was his first time since they'd started dating that he actually lost his temper and she had to wonder just why it had taken him so long. She didn't blame him though, this argument, like all the others, was her fault. He must have really liked her.

"Do all of what? What are you talking about Arnold-o?" Playing innocent always worked. Almost, anyways.

"The gum? The hair? The abuse in general Helga. That's not how you treat a boyfriend." That word...

She laughed out loud, but not to be brutal. It was because she couldn't help but to think he looked rather cute when upset. Apparently he didn't agree with his mental logic because he began to actually glare at her. "Then go complain to Lila or something," she said with a snort.

"Why do you have to be like this? So insecure and immature?"

She felt herself stiffen and watched as regret passed through his eyes. It didn't really matter though, because she now knew what he really thought of her. It was childish for her to assume that he really had meant what he said while he was angry but she didn't really care. She was immature after all. And for some reason she couldn't help but feel that a part of him really believed that to be true. Helga was shutting down again. Completely reverting back to that awkwardly cynical and sarcastic person she was before.

"Look, Arnold. I don't think this is going to work out. I'm obviously not mature enough for this relationship." Her eyes were hard, a lot harder than her heart that was desperately begging for her to stop this. To stop being so petty. But she couldn't now that she'd said it. Besides, relationships were too much trouble anyways.

He reached out and hugged her gently and her heart ached. What was she doing? After pining after him for so many years she'd finally got him, and what did she do? Completely give it up because she thought it was too much trouble. Or so she tried to convince herself. The reality of it all was that they were getting entirely too close, too soon. She was afraid. So why not break before she was broken? The worse part was she felt broken anyways.

"You don't want to do this..."

Helga stiffened. His voice was so soft and she knew he was trying to convince her to stay. He wanted to be with her. "I obviously do. Maybe I'll come back when my self esteem is intact." She was screaming at herself mentally. Why the hell did she have to say that? And just why was she walking away!

She was thirteen and she was afraid to commit.

**Grimmy:** _So what do you think? I urge you to review because I'm really looking forward to feedback on how I can improve this. And opinions are always good. :P Like always. I'm pretty sure I'll have the next chapter out some time tomorrow or the day after. It depends on how much I procrastinate. I already have it written down, I just need to type it up and edit it so it's longer. Many thanks to you all~_


	2. Cheater

**Grimmy**: _See! Already I've produced the next chapter. Ahaha, I'm good for my word folks. Just a few more chapters left now. So, I guess I forgot to mention the direction this was actually going in. I'm certainly out of my normal element when writing like this, not a different style or anything. But a different outlook. This fic will be something like a few important snapshots that show them eventually maturing, and like stated in the first chapter, to show character growth. It's designed to keep you wondering just what happened over the course of time, and if I ever get around to it I'd like to do something else involving this fic. Such as giving more detail. This chapter focuses on her commitment issues, much like the last one, especially towards the end. _

_I'm honestly glad to see that you all are liking it so far and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. I don't own Hey Arnold! :)_

**Chapter 2** - _Cheater_

They were at a party, or rather leaving a particularly wild one. So wild in fact that Arnold was currently sporting a black eye, courtesy of his ex girlfriend's boyfriend. She had to resist the urge to giggle when she looked down, she was still taller than him, at his serene face. Even with that black eye he looked like an angel.

"What do you see in him?"

It sounded like a question but she could hear beyond his soft joking tones. She was, after all the person who'd been obsessed with him for ages. He was actually telling her that Wolfgang was, in fact, a jerk. And if she wasn't mistaken she could have sworn he sounded jealous. She was supposed to be over him but she still couldn't help but to be touched.

But of course he'd never say something like that aloud. It was like he was absolutely devoted to being a nice guy and once again she found herself wondering just why was she with Wolfgang? Her childhood bully had turned into a player in high school and for some reason she went along with it. Despite the fact that he was two years her senior, only one grade ahead of her, and dumb as a brick. But she couldn't for the life of her figure out just why she did it.

"Oh, you know. Every girl wants a man who is experienced in the sack. Older men just get me so hot." She batted her eyelashes for extra effect.

"Helga!" His green eyes were wide, well one of them anyways, and his cheeks were a visible pink.

Helga laughed aloud. It was just so easy to toy with him, and for a while, it felt like old times. Old times in which there was still something between them. Days when he returned her affection, to an extent. She knew he wasn't nearly as crazy about her as she was about him but they'd managed to make it work for a short while. They were outside of the boarding house when she said, "You know I was just kidding about the older men thing, right?"

He hesitated. "Yeah."

She bit her lip when she noticed just how nervous he looked. Like he was going to do something drastic. "Well, I was. In case you didn't-"

He was kissing her, but before she'd realized it he pulled away with a soft wet plop. The tingling on her lips served as the only evidence that it was true. That and his suddenly awkward glance.

"Helga, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean... to," he just managed to whisper before their lips met again. And yet again she found herself asking, just why did she give up kisses this sweet.

She was fourteen and a cheater.

**Grimmy:** _Once I post the next chapter, some time later today maybe, I'll have to boost the rating of this fic. You can probably guess why, but something major will be happening. For those of you who aren't into reading those kinds of things, I can assure you it won't be extremely descriptive. For those of you who do, make sure you tell me you want some good old juicy details so I can type up a little something extra for you all. _

_Either way the next chapter is a mandatory one so I'd prefer you all to read it. It shows a part of most teenage lives. I'll give you more when I post it._

_And remember, reviews are always appreciated._


	3. Active

**Grimmy**: _Chapter three! Am I a fast updater or what? Yeah, I'll answer that, I am. Surprisingly, this chapter was a lot longer on paper but when I typed it up I had to change and edit quite a few things. That, and I wanted to keep it around the same length as the other chapters, which was kind of hard. I actually sat here, at the computer, for an entire hour staring blankly at the screen, wondering just how I was going to do this. So towards the end of the middle, lol, it did get a bit rough, no pun intended. It looks as if I can actually reply to reviews this time._

_**NintendoGal55 **- This was my most favorite review of all time. YES! All time. You hit it basically dead on the nose. Only there's one thing, and I blame myself for not including this. But the whole cheating thing at the end was a way of once again evading a relationship. I don't really condone cheating either, in fact it's on the list of things I would never do, like ever. And I like to think Helga doesn't condone it either but I think that she panicked and this was her only escape. Well sure fire escape anyways. Your review actually gave me chills because not only does it let me know I'm doing a pretty good job but it also shows that this is in fact, understandable. I thank you for that. :)_

_**call me Milo** - That was another little something I left out. In the original version that chapter had been done in Arnold's perspective and I'd been meaning back and forth between the two with each chapter but I finally settled on just doing everything in Helga's p.o.v. The final line at the end of the first paragraph was going to be: But he felt good on calling someone out two years his senior, even if it did result in a fight. In other words, Arnold said something Wolfgang didn't like, and well kids unsupervised at a party? Of course it would end up with a brawl. _

_**Edward Crane -** Well I can't say this doesn't get a little sad, although there is plenty of fluff to come, but if that's the case I'll write something extra special just for you. I completely understand what you mean since I happen to write a lot of sad stuff and apparently so do a lot of other people. So when I go browsing in my favorite archives all I see is angst. It gets really annoying. :) But I promise to do you a happy little oneshot._

_Now on to the fic. I don't own Hey Arnold~_

**Chapter 3 -** _Active_

What was it about winter that made people want to cuddle? She'd never found out that answer because she was too busy doing her own little bit of cuddling. Rather intimate cuddling at that, which came as a surprise because never before had they done something so personal.

It had started just like any other winter day. They were huddled under a large blanket on the sofa at Helga's house. Her home had become something like a hideout, with Miriam away on her drunken escapades with her new best friend, who just happened to live in Arnold's boarding house, and Big Bob off running their business they had the place to themselves. She'd walk around the house in her underwear and had, not too long ago, convinced him that it was okay for him to do it.

But she knew, the moment he wrapped his arm loosely around her waist and his fingers slid over the swell of her scantily covered breasts that everything had changed. And aside from the fact that it made her extremely nervous, she found that she didn't mind as much as she would have thought. It was an accident after all.

At least until she slipped up and kissed him.

She was vaguely aware of the fact that she was quite possibly leading him on but at that moment she didn't care. She was ice cream and he was a flamethrower, as cheesy as it sounded. And she knew if she waited too long or thought too much, she'd chicken out, because this was something else. It was something new. It was something she wanted to share with him and only him.

She gasped softly in surprise when he dragged his fingertips over the soft damp curls that resided only centimeters away from her opening. 'Why didn't I shave,' was the only thing she could think of as dread set in. And when he whispered her name, in that sweet, loving tone that only he could use she knew what she had to do. No more stalling. No more playing around.

Helga slid her fingers underneath the hem of his boxers and yanked them down as far as she could, which happened to be around his knees. "Just do it," she whispered.

He looked at her and she stared back, and for a moment she could have sworn he looked a little sad. As if he wasn't getting what he really wanted. He didn't move and she didn't move. She could have sworn time stopped. With a frustrated groan she lifted her hips and his dry hardness pressed against her soft sleek fuzz in an almost tasty manner.

"Do it football head!" It wasn't a whisper this time. It was a needy demand.

"O-okay."

She was fifteen and sexually active.

_**Grimmy:** __Lol, it's a shame that the A/N were longer than the chapter, oh well. The next chapter, like the previous ones, will probably be out some time tomorrow. More big news that might just cause controversy, not that I don't think this one won't. Personally, it's not that hard for me to imagine teenagers having sex, especially ones over the age of thirteen. Although I'm still a virgin, I had quite a few close calls when I was younger, which wasn't too long ago considering that I only just became legal in America, lol. But feel free to leave reviews and opinions. :)_


	4. It

**Grimmy**: _So, after a short hiatus on this fic I'm finally back. Looks like the previous chapter wasn't such a hit, oh wellz. Hopefully this one will be. So a few things before this starts up. I, personally, support abortion provided the circumstances are reasonable. I'm pretty sure I was short of becoming an abortion baby since I was given up for adoption as soon as I was born. But once again, if the circumstances are reasonable I'd support it all the way._

_Another thing. It seems as if I've started two more chapter fics. One is a GeraldxHelgaxArnold which was purely for more advanced writing practice. And by that I mean putting more emotion into my stories. So go and check that out if you already haven't. And the other chapter fic is simply so I can practice lemon writing. It's GeraldxRhonda, so if you like reading lemons then I recommend that for you. Both will be on the short side so it won't interfere much with LLN. Which reminds me. Someone fucked with my files so I have to redo chapters 3-5. Fear not! It won't be too long from now when I post the first chapter._

_Soooo with all of that being said. I don't own Hey Arnold and this wasn't betaed._

**Chapter 4**_** - **It_

"Helga, are you positive that you want to go through with this?"

"Positive. But it's not exactly easy if you keep pestering me about it."

She was scowling as she stared at the bright white wall. It was littered with posters about health, pregnancy, and other shit that she didn't care too much about. Not that it mattered because at this point she saw straight past them. She didn't dare look around because she knew that simple action would once again start up her brain and she would chicken out completely. She _wanted_ this.

So she sat, scowling down at the world and trying to ignore her extremely optimistic _friend_. Not that she blamed him for any of this. She didn't blame anyone else either. She just blamed herself. She was the one who pressured all the time, not him.

"_Helga Pataki_?" came a nasally twang over the clinic intercom.

She breathed deep as she looked up at the voice box, wondering just why did it have to call her name. It was time... She didn't realize it but she had Arnold's hand in something short of a death grip as they walked to the manila office in the back.

Her brain felt numb and her heart was pounding painfully against her ribcage as she changed into the thin hospital gown. She noted that Arnold had turned away, true gentleman he was, and a bitter laugh escaped her lips. He'd seen more of her than any doctor could ever hope to.

The plastic bed was cold on her thighs and the little thin sheet of paper that they used to cover most of it was hard and pointy against her butt. She found Arnold's hand once again. It wasn't the first time that she wished she had been more cautious. If only...

"Helga, you're crying."

She turned and looked at him for the first time that day, absolutely furious. "I am not cryi-" She stopped talking when he wiped a tear from her cheek. And like he'd said, she had been crying. Grief over came her and she found that now that she actually knew she was crying, she couldn't stop.

It started with a few tears that continued to roll even as she rubbed her eyes furiously. And then she began to hiccup and sob softly. Her chest tightened with every sniffle or croak and it felt as if someone was choking her. Before she knew it, she was in his arms. And she knew that she wasn't just sobbing about this baby. She was crying out years of pent up emotions. She was finally becoming a teenager instead of that extremely cynical and sarcastic 'grown up' that people had come to know her as.

And just like always Arnold was there for her.

She was sixteen and she was keeping '_it_'.

**Grimmy:** _So! What did you think? Wasn't as emotional as I expected but it was pretty damn okay if I don't say so myself. Just pointing this out. This pregnancy wasn't a result of what happened last chapter. This is a few more months down the road so you assume that they kept up with their little secret meetings -wink wink-. In addition to that, I feel the need to point out that she labeled him as friend. Anyone else catch that? If not, now you know. She's still struggling with commitment issues but I think a baby is going to snap her out of that. Another thing. This is all just painfully cliche. I hope you don't want to punch me in the face as bad as I want you to, lol. But other than all of my rambling and babbling I'd like you to review of course. Much love for the AxH fandom! We need to start a rally for them!_


	5. Committed

**Grimmy**: _Short final A/N. This is the last chapter and while at times I don't like this fic I must still say that I am pretty proud. I'm happy with the people who stuck with it from beginning to end. And while I think my writing in this chapter is a little stiff, off if you may, I think that I still managed to do a pretty okay job. Even after I edited, this was the shortest chapter yet. More of a closing really. With that being said, I don't own Hey Arnold!_

**Chapter 5**_** - **Committed_

Helga was very tired. She realized that when she had began to fall asleep on Arnold, who in turn was falling asleep against her. She pouted, an expression she didn't often wear, and pulled his arms around her neck. At the sound of his weak groan she snuggled closer.

"We should do this more often," she muttered, yawning halfway through.

He yawned shortly after and rubbed his eyes. "Cuddling?" And as if on instinct he began to rake his fingers slowly through her long blonde hair. She loved when he did that.

"No, joint babysitting." She slid her leg up so that she was halfway straddling him. If she wasn't so tired she would have done a lot more than that, him included.

"It is nice, isn't it?" Helga could have sworn he was reading her mind because he began to drag his hand up and down her thigh. And although she was almost desperate for sleep she still shivered and squirm. Surely he wasn't trying to prompt her into a duel beneath the sheets. He was just as tired as she, right?

Her only response was a nod and a 'mmhm' that sounded a little bit off in her opinion. And with the way he stiffened against her, she practically prayed that it wasn't some sort of dirty pun, she had to guess he'd heard it as well.

Arnold took a deep breath to steady himself. "Maybe someday we could even have another one?" He stopped fidgeting and as far as she could tell, he stopped breathing as well. And that's when she caught onto just what he was saying. She smiled to herself and shook her head. Leave it to him to not propose directly.

"That actually sounds nice," she whispered but she knew he'd heard by the sound of his relieved sigh.

"Good."

"I love you Arnold."

She was eighteen and in a committed relationship.

**Grimmy:** _And after five short chapters this story brings us to a shorter end. I must say, I'm rather happy with myself since this is the first finished chapter fic that I've posted in a while. So with that being said I'd like to ask you guys just what should I start on next? I have three projects I'm currently working on, one AxH that I'm having trouble with the middle. There is I'd Rather Go Blind, which is already posted on the site. I'm having a few kinks with the next chapter of that and it's actually focused around GxH. And the final project is with Socialite which is for my current third favorite pairing GxR. I'd like to do a sequel to it._

_So feel free to vote on which I should focus on next as I can't seem to decide. And of course I'll be updating LLN as well, so look out for that within the next three or four days. So until then. Later days~_


End file.
